skaner

Skaner is a device or software that converts physical material into digital data. The term is used across multiple language communities and encompasses several families of hardware and related software, including document scanners, barcode scanners, image scanners, and 3D scanners. In professional settings, scanners enable digitization, indexing, and automated data capture.

Document scanners come in flatbed and sheet-fed forms. Flatbed scanners place the document on a glass surface and scan it; sheet-fed scanners pull multiple pages through in sequence. Barcode scanners read printed barcodes and are common in retail, logistics, and manufacturing. Photo scanners focus on reproducing color and detail for photographs. 3D scanners capture the shape of real objects through structured light, lasers, or photogrammetry.

Key specifications include optical resolution (measured in dots per inch, dpi), color depth, optical scanning speed (pages per minute or images per second), and workflow features such as OCR (optical character recognition) and PDF creation. File formats typically include TIFF, JPEG, PNG, and searchable PDF. Advances in mobile devices enable camera-based scanning, which uses software to extract data from images rather than a dedicated hardware scanner.

Applications span offices, libraries, archives, healthcare, and industry. Scanners also integrate with document management systems, cloud services, and automated line-side capture in production environments. The term skaner is used in Polish and several other languages to refer to these devices, with distinctions often made between document, barcode, and 3D scanners.